A Few Ways To Tackle Anxiety

Being someone who suffers with anxiety, I know just how much of a nasty and frustrating thing it can be. Over time I’ve found a few small things that help me out, well at least they ease the anxiety a bit. So what better way to help by sharing it with everybody else.

Distract Yourself – Distracting yourself can be so useful. The ways in which I personally do this, is by playing a slightly challenging/thought provoking game on my phone. I am currently really enjoying the game ‘1010’ which you can download free from the app store. Its just a puzzle solving game but it actually makes you think, which takes your mind away from any anxious thoughts you may be having. If playing a game isn’t your thing, reading or watching a youtube video or netflix show may help equally as well, something that will briskly sweep your mind away from any negative thoughts.

Breathing & Listening to a Relaxation App – Breathing is so important when you’re feeling anxious. I use the technique of ‘7 11 breathing’, this is where you breathe in, count to 7 then breathe out counting to 11 and you really do feel the weight off your chest lift and your shoulders start to relax a bit more. Alongside this, downloading an app such as ‘Calm’ can help huge amounts. You can either listen to the sound of rain, the sea and various other calming sounds or have a guided meditation session with someone who speaks to you and makes you aware of your breathing and how you’re feeling.

Write Down How You Feel – I suppose this might not work for everybody, but if you’re having a particularly anxious spell, quickly grab a pen and write down exactly what feelings you’re experiences. Possibly write down how you’re going to deal with it or how you dealt with the situation. It might help you for next time as you can remember what you felt and you know how to deal with it a bit better.

Listening to Music & Visualisation – This one can help me out so much. If you have a particular album or song that takes you back to a happy place or time in your life stick it on and imagine that happy place in your head. I promise you’ll almost instantly feel calmer because you’ll picture yourself in a happy and stress free situation, its just nice feeling really and can reduce your anxiety levels there and then.